Repetitions are the most misunderstood aspect of hypertrophy training.
Not a day goes by that I don't get pulled aside by someone, or somebody slides into my email asking me to solve the puzzling mystery of the missing magic rep range.
You're all over complicating it. But it's not your fault. Many coaches, influencers, and fitness grifters have made a living proclaiming the magic of 1 rep range over another.
The fact of the matter is, it doesn't really matter.
That's right. You read that correctly. It doesn't matter.
Studies and experience consistently prove that anywhere from 5-30 (give or take) reps per set result in equal or similar amounts of muscle growth.
What DOES matter is effort, or, in fitness speak – intensity.
Basically, as long as you're taking sets close to failure, you will see growth.
What's close to failure?
Again, this is a broadly used term, but generally close to failure means anywhere from 0 reps (failure) to 4 reps before estimated failure. Just to be safe I generally advise to aim for 0-2 reps from failure. If I give you the liberty to stop when 4 reps to figure, odds are, as a humanoid, you'll stop 14 reps shy of failure. Then, months later when you have no gains you'll be upset with me.
So go until you pretty much can't go anymore without cheating. Your reps should slow down, at least a little bit, towards the end of each set.
So now we've hashed out that 5-30 rep sets can all work as long as we're working hard. That's just dandy.
But, how do you decide between 5 reps, 10 reps, 15, 20, 25, 30 reps or – heaven forbid – any ungodly number that's not dividable by 5?!
Slow down, ghost rider. I'm getting there.
First of all, we determine your ideal rep range based on what weights/equipment you have available.
From there, we can choose reps based on how strong your are.
For example, let's say our sample client, Cletus, only has a pullup bar, an adjustable bench, and adjustable dumbbells up to 52.5 pounds. This is a fairly common minimalist home gym setup. And it's an effective setup if you're smart and currently in possession of a 'can-do' attitude.
If Cletus can't do 15 reps of any exercise with 52.5 pounds, then he doesn't have to worry about programming any sets that would require 16-30 reps. He could start out doing exercises for just 6-12 reps per set, and when he becomes strong enough to do 52.5 pounds on various exercises, he would just add reps. So his rep range on bench press may go from 6-12 reps to 12-15 reps, then eventually 15-20 reps, and so on and so forth up to 30 pounds.
Now, Cletus's neighbor, Alistair (don't call him Ale. He finds it improper and downright insulting), has a minimalist setup at home that involves a 35 pound kettlebell and a 53 pound kettlebell. Being a scrawny newb, he can't do any exercises with the 35 pound kettlebell for even 6 reps, so he will simply do as many reps as he can – even if it's under 5 reps – taking each set close to failure but not to death. Eventually, Alistair will be able to do 5+ reps on various exercises and will build up strength with the 35 pound kettlebell until he's able to begin doing some exercises for 5ish reps with the 53 pound kettlebell.
But what if you have an entire gym worth of equipment? Well, in that case, the world is your oyster, my friend. Shortly, I will give you my personal breakdown of my preferred reps per set that I find work best for me and many of my clients. Be patient. I'll be discussing that very soon.
But first...
Next matter to consider when picking rep ranges is enjoyment. What rep range is fun, motivating, and therefore, most productive for you, as an individual?
If you hate low rep training and get great pumps and motivation from 12-20 reps per set, then you should probably program your sets to be mostly within that 12-20 rep range. That's the range that motivates you to keep showing up at the gym and, therefore, will be the rep range that gives you best gains.
For those that hate experimentation and just want to be told what to do, here is my general guide, assuming you have enough weights to challenge yourself in various rep ranges.
For compound, multi-joint exercises, I like to work within 6-12 reps per set. These exercises would be all your big movement patterns: squats, hinges, pushes (bench press and overhead press), pulls (pullups, pulldowns, and rows), lunges, etc.
For most isolation exercises, I like to pick a range that falls somewhere in the 10-20 rep range. I break this down further into exercises where I do 10-20 or 10-15 reps. Below are some examples:
Tricep isolations (skull crushers, overhead extensions, pushdowns)-10-20 reps. I like a broad rep range for these because I notice dramatic set to set performance decreases when taking sets close to failure and I'm too lazy to just decrease the weights during succeeding sets. I also find the triceps respond well to higher rep work that gets the blood pumping more. Low rep tricep isolations lead to cranky elbows.
Calf raises-12-20 reps. Mostly for the same reasons mentioned for triceps.
Hamstring curls and leg extensions-10-15 reps.
Lateral raises-10-15 reps
Forearm isolation-10-20 reps
Hammer curl variaitions-10-15 reps
Bicep isolations*-10-15 reps. I'll often bump this down to 6-12 reps per set after clients have been doing 10-15 for awhile. I find biceps respond well to more frequent load increases, up to a point. I usually do curls in the 6-12 rep range, but every now and then I switch it up and go back to the 10-15 rep recommendation that I use with so many of my newer clients. My elbows are actually acting a little cranky this week, so I think I'll experiment again with the higher – 10-15 reps per set – range for a bit and see if it doesn't provide a bicep growth spurt.
Lastly, I should discuss progressions. I'm a simple man and I like simple progression models. Because of that, I recommend double progression.
This means we will add reps before load. So, if you're doing 3 sets of 6-12 reps per set, stick with the same weight until all 3 sets can be completed for 12 reps. At that point, increase the weights.
Thanks for reading.
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